• Germany edition
Business & Money
Photo: DPA

Cost of nuke phase-out 'could near €2 trillion'

Published: 18 Jan 12 07:05 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/money/20120118-40175.html

Tech giant Siemens has warned that Germany’s nuclear phase-out could cost the country nearly €2 trillion by 2030, much higher than previously estimated.

“This will either be paid by energy customers or taxpayers,” the Siemens board member in charge of energy issues Michael Süß told the Reuters news service, estimating costs of about €1.7 trillion. “As an industry, Germany has always reached it goals. Now the whole world is looking at us. If the energy shift should fail ... it would undermine Germany's credibility as an industry nation.”

Reuters news agency said the estimate was based on the costs of expanding renewable energy sources. Costs could be reduced if Germans relied more on gas, Süß said.

Siemens built all of Germany’s 17 nuclear plants and offered technical support until the German government announced last spring it would begin phasing out nuclear energy in the wake of the Japanese Fukushima earthquake and tsunami disaster, with a shut down largely complete by 2022.

Jürgen R. Großmann, head of German energy provider RWE, has previously estimated phase-out costs of up to €300 billion. State-owned investment bank KfW has estimated costs of about €250 billion over the next ten years.

While green campaigners have hailed the end of German nuclear energy, industry leaders have repeatedly warned that the country’s power grid would be put at risk in future years.

The Local/mdm

What do you think? Leave your comment below.

Fark It! Digg This  Share everywhere
Send to a friend Printable version Twitter This

Your comments about this article:

10:35 January 18, 2012 by trevzns
Nuclear power phase-out, good news for the environment.
10:43 January 18, 2012 by pepsionice
As quick as Germans reacted to Fukushima.....you'd think that some idiot would start to talk up the radiation threat from cellphones and have the German gov't outlaw all cellphones by 2015.
10:46 January 18, 2012 by thintow
Phew. Now Germany will be nuclear free!

Except for the nuclear power they will have to buy from France that is...
11:52 January 18, 2012 by Dave N
So when exactly are the idiots expecting the earthquake and tsunami to hit Germany?
12:09 January 18, 2012 by raandy
The decision was rash and not well thought out , Angela Merkel first extended the deadline on the older plants than completely reversed herself in a political move to shore up support for the CDU all the time using the diaster in Japan for political gain.

An impact study and a feasibility analysis first for securing much needed power would have been a better move towards phasing out the nuclear plants than full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes.
12:16 January 18, 2012 by Simon_Kellett
Standard Question: all nuclear plants have to be decommissioned one day at either the consumers or tax payers expense. Is the number quoted above the decommissioning cost, or the difference between early and late decommissioning?
12:54 January 18, 2012 by mos101392
The logical thing to do is wait until the renewables equals or exceeds the output of each reactor. Then close each one down...one at a time!
15:28 January 18, 2012 by derExDeutsche
how could Germany redistribute its wealth if it were energy independent? Energy independence is not the goal here. As the new gas pipeline from Russia, and buying Nuke energy from its neighbors suggests.
19:19 January 18, 2012 by carlm
The kommies couldn't care less what it costs, nor who gets hurt in their quest to ruin our prosperous and civilized society. It's all for a good cause, environmentalism. Until it effects them, then they scream bloody murder.
21:55 January 18, 2012 by Chango Mutney
I should stay with the nuclear power stations because otherwise you'll have to start burning coal and that will not be good for your clean air.

i wouldn't place much emphasise on using those big windmill things to give you a few watts, they always stop in the winter months, no wind

As you're not in an earthquake zone you should be OK, the French don't seem to be too bothered about nuclear power stations so, as we say in Britain, don't panic !
02:07 January 19, 2012 by rfwilson
@ trevzns

"Nuclear power phase-out, good news for the environment. "

Oh yeah, sure it will! Just where do you think all that power will come from when those nuclear power plants are shut down, or maybe you just don't think that far ahead.

Hint.... oil and coal burning power plants will replace the missing nukes! Won't THAT be just great news for the environment!
10:59 January 19, 2012 by ChrisRea
So the company that would benefit the most from keeping the nuclear reactors running comes up with a figure almost ten times bigger than the ones from the industry pundits. I think we need here a tad more than just a pinch of salt.
17:02 January 19, 2012 by storymann
Germany will be heavily reliant on fossil fuels to replace it's nuclear power generating plants.

I believe they are not shutting all the facilities down at once, they are starting with the oldest.

Gazprom will most likely be the major source of energy as Germany and Russia have negotiated a delivery and supply plan.

Germany has to build 5 GW plants using natural gas in addition to the 11 GW coal fired plants presently under construction.This will only supply about 45% of the loss of power from Nuke plants by 2020.

At present they do not have the ability to replace the loss of power,using biomass will only supply about 7% more still leaving a 35% shortage from present energy production.

Were this additional power is gong to come from is a mystery.
21:36 January 19, 2012 by AirForceGuy
Once all the powerplants are phased out and Germany is dependent on external sources of energy, those suppliers of that energy will be able to charge whatever they wish with no internal competition and the prices will skyrocket. Energy extortion!
18:43 January 20, 2012 by surprisetrustfall
Atom Kraft? Ja, Bitte!! All those tree-hugging, nature-loving hippies who think getting rid of the nuclear power plants are misguided fools. Firstly, as other have touched in the comments, with the nuclear energy out, what will replace it? Durrrr.... coal and LNG - solar and wind farms will not popup over night and oh yeah, we're going to need crude oil to make the composites for the overwhelming amount of turbines that it will take to recoup the loss of nuclear energy. Secondly, there are nuclear plants that are able to take the waste product and use the plutonium as a power source to recycle power, of course there will need to be more security and oversight, but we're talking about saving money in the future.

@ ChrisRea: Good point. Siemens has a lot to lose with this, but that just means Germany should open the market for other companies to build power plants and opening up the market. This in turn will create more jobs and boost the economy.
ADD YOUR COMMENT   (YOU MUST LOG IN OR REGISTER TO MAKE A COMMENT)
Business & Money headlines
Photo: DPA

Berlin sees 'no need' to boost EU firewall fund

Germany reiterated on Wednesday there was no need to pour more money into the eurozone's crisis-fighting war chest, a week ahead of a crunch EU summit likely to be dominated by the issue. READ »

Photo: DPA

Hundreds of thousands have no electricity

Hundreds of thousands of Germans are likely going without power simply because they can’t afford the bills, according to a North Rhine-Westphalian consumer organisation studying the problem. READ (7 COMMENTS) »

Photo: DPA

Having older employees 'better for business'

Having employees between the ages of 45 and 67 increases a business' productivity, the German government announced on Tuesday in a report examining age-equality in the workplace. READ (2 COMMENTS) »

Photo: DPA

Schäuble certain of majority for Greek bailout

Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble said on Tuesday he was "totally confident" Germany's parliament would approve a Greek bailout deal without the governing coalition having to rely on opposition support. READ (2 COMMENTS) »

Photo: DPA

Greece no threat to world economy: ECB man

Greece, which is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, is "no threat to the world economy," Germany's European Central Bank executive board member Jörg Asmussen said on Monday. READ (1 COMMENT) »

Photo: DPA

Stingy banks prod firms to tap bond market

German companies are increasingly turning to the bond markets for their financing as banks restrict lending, a new study by Moody's Investors Service found on Monday. READ »

Photo: DPA

Greek debt relief decision expected on Monday

As even Germans were to be found protesting outside the German embassy in Athens on Friday, politicians said a decision would probably be made on Monday about further European aid to struggling Greece. READ (4 COMMENTS) »

Photo: DPA

Mouse droppings bankrupt Bavarian bakery

The Müller Brot bakery chain in Bavaria has declared bankruptcy, two weeks after production was halted following the discovery of maggots in its flour and mouse droppings in its factory. READ (1 COMMENT) »

Photo: DPA

More than one million jobs vacant in Germany

More than one million jobs in Germany are unfilled, a survey showed on Thursday, as unemployment in Europe's top economy stands at record lows and employers complain of a skills shortage. READ (9 COMMENTS) »

Photo: DPA

Penniless artists the happiest of us all

They often toil for long hours for little pay and even less glory, but artists are Germany’s happiest workers, according to a new study from the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW). READ (1 COMMENT) »

More Business & Money

See all ads | Join the Marketplace

Jobs in Germany, in English

1248 jobs available
700 new jobs this week
0 new jobs today

ALL JOBS »

Latest Business & Money news from Sweden
News from the Goethe-Institut
News from DeutschlandOnline

Toytown Germany
Germany's English-speaking crowd
English-speaking educators (native level)

Hotel reservations in Berlin
Visiting Berlin anytime soon? Book your hotel in Berlin here.
Rental apartments in Berlin
For home-from-home holiday accommodation, search for a Berlin apartment to rent.
Trade CFDs with InterTrader.com
Start trading shares, equities, forex, etc. No commission on equities; Low min. margins. Apply for a CFDs account now!